Another Kind of Battle
by liketolaugh
Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.'
1. Fresh Start

**A/N: So I STILL shouldn't be making new stories, I'm being stupid with my stories again, but I just spent literally all of Saturday playing the new Pokemon game and it is AWESOME. This is the only game I've loved enough to play straight through - it's been two days and I'm already through all eight gym leaders, heading on to the Elite Four. (Or I would have been if I hadn't gotten distracted, dammit, Anna.) Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

One of Ed's earliest memories was an impression of darkness, his small body held close to Jigglypuff's warm fur as she sang to him. Little Minun, barely more than a baby then, crouched on Jigglypuff's shoulder and stared at him with wide eyes.

Large, cold hands lifted him from Jigglypuff's hold and he cried, upset that he'd been separated from Jigglypuff, making Minun's eyes well up as she started to wail, too. Daddy hastily gave him to Mommy, just warm skin and a soft smile, who laughed and held him close until he fell asleep.

* * *

"Brother?"

Al's soft, sleepy voice broke into Ed's dreams, and he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Al?" he asked sleepily, peering at Al.

"I need to potty," Al whispered, squirming.

Ed blinked at him owlishly for a moment – Al was adorable, he really was, but it was _early –_ before he yawned, nodded, and rolled out of bed, accidentally jostling Minun awake.

Minun sat up and looked at them quizzically, blinking tiredly. She'd grown up a lot faster than them, and though she was still young, she'd taken responsibility for them, especially Ed, like Plusle had for Al. Ed shrugged at her, but Al insisted, "Potty!" and Minun, too, yawned and got out of bed, ushering the two toddlers out of the room, leaving only Plusle, curled up in Al's bed.

They had just left the bathroom when Minun suddenly moved to block their sight. Al just blinked at her and rubbed his eye tiredly, but Ed frowned and craned his neck to look past. He tilted his head.

Mom and Dad were talking, and a suitcase rested in Dad's hand, like when he went for a business trip. But he never went for a business trip at night, he always smiled awkwardly at them and announced it over breakfast, and then left right after. Mom looked sad, but resigned, and Dad turned, facing the door. Ed's hand tightened on Al's. Where was Dad going? Why wasn't he saying goodbye? Dad always said goodbye.

"Min!" Minun said sharply, sparking slightly with anger. Dad paused, and Mom gasped softly, eyes wide and guilty and darting toward them.

"Ed? Al? What are you doing up?" Her voice was soft and gentle, not quite enough to hide the startled tint to it.

"Al had to go potty," Ed whispered, eyes on Dad.

"Min_-un!" _Minun insisted, taking a step forward and sparking dangerously at Dad. She'd never liked him; Ed had never understood why. It was Ed's fault he didn't like picking him up, after all, not Dad's.

It didn't stop Dad from stepping out, nor did it stop the door from swinging shut behind him. And he didn't say goodbye, and there were tears in Mom's eyes, and Ed's heart stopped.

Minun had never liked Dad, and now Ed knew why.

* * *

Trisha collapsed on a sunny day, a day Ed, Al, Plusle, and Minun had spent running around, playing and gathering fruit in the hopes of pie.

Jigglypuff was standing over Trisha when they arrived back, chirruping in distress, blue eyes wide and teary with panicked worry.

They had never seen her so upset.

* * *

Despite having gotten sick weeks after, Jigglypuff died a few days before Trisha did.

As weak as she was, Trisha let them cry on her and cried with them until they thought they had no tears left to cry.

They were wrong.

* * *

The Elrics' house was subdued after Trisha died. Ed and Al spent long hours shut up in the study, with Plusle and Minun curled up with them, eyes sad.

That was where they were now, Ed yawning and trying to focus on the book through the haze of exhaustion. Al had long since surrendered, asleep atop his book, with Plusle strategically blocking the light so it didn't wake him.

"Mi-nu," Minun yawned, leaning her head against Ed.

"Not now, Minun," Ed yawned, frowning at his book. "Just… a little… farther…" His eyes slid shut and his head fell forward.

"Minu," Minun whispered. She yawned and stumbled up, rubbing one eye, and turned the light out, leaving the study night-dark. Then she stumbled back to Ed and curled up against him, falling fast asleep in seconds.

The anatomy book would have to wait until the next day.

* * *

Plusle and Minun didn't want to leave.

Ed guessed he understood; the two of them had always been house pokemon, unsuited to travel. Unlike most pokemon, they'd never had dreams of being stronger, faster, better. So going with a woman like Izumi, who'd already promised to teach them more than just alchemy, wasn't exactly for them.

Ed understood. It didn't mean he wasn't sad.

Plusle and Minun waved them off right alongside Winry and Pinako, and Ed and Al waved right back.

Izumi Curtis was a scary woman, and the first pokeballs Ed and Al ever saw were at her waist. In them, she held a Granbull, grumpy as all hell, and a Luxray, playful and tricky. Ed had already been shocked from behind three times, and the Luxray was usually in her pokeball.

Ed sat back in his seat with a wistful smile.

"We'll see them again, won't we, brother?" Al asked, eyes sad.

"Yeah, Al," Ed reassured him. "As soon as we're done training, we'll see them."

And they'd see their mom, too.

* * *

The island was a damned scary place. If Ed didn't want to learn so bad, he might have tried to leave. Then again, he would have failed – there were no places to swim near Resembool, and he didn't know how.

It was their third night there and they were just as horribly, hopelessly lost as they had been on the first. They had no food, they barely had a fire, and the Masked Man kept attacking them.

And Al had a pokemon. A _helpless _pokemon.

"He's cold," was Al's soft defense, and the helpless, sad look on Al's face was enough to stop Ed's protests, even though he had no idea how they were supposed to take care of a helpless little Togepi when they couldn't even take care of themselves.

The Masked Man attacked that night too, of course. Their newest member did nothing to discourage him, which depressed Ed; oftentimes, even those who would attack children would leave those with young Pokemon alone.

"Al!" Ed screamed, gold eyes wide and desperate. "Take the Togepi and run!"

Al looked at him with wide eyes, Togepi clutched close to his chest. "But Ed-"

_"Now, _Al!"

Al bit his lip and turned and ran, and Ed gritted his teeth and turned on the Masked Man, deathly pale and scared out of his mind.

"Come on, then," Ed challenged, willing his voice not to tremble.

The Masked Man turned his head in the direction Al had gone. Ed gave up on sanity and charged.

The man practically swatted him out of the air, of course; Ed landed on the ground hard and gasped out, pain bright in apple juice eyes.

A growl ripped through the clearing and a blue blur popped out of nowhere, tackling the Masked Man. When it stilled, growling at the man, Ed found it to be a Riolu, and his eyes widened.

Then the Masked Man threw the Riolu off and Ed gasped, rolling out of the way and struggling to his feet. He looked at the Riolu, the Riolu looked at him, and they both nodded.

Then they looked at the Masked Man and attacked.

* * *

Together, he and Riolu chased off the Masked Man, but not without a price; Riolu got badly hurt in the fight, his leg fractured, maybe broken, and Ed knew from previous searches that there weren't any Sitrus or Oran berries on the island, so they were on their own.

Ed called out weakly to Al, knowing that he wouldn't have gone far, and picked up Riolu as gently as he could, moving him over by the empty fire pit. When Al appeared, Togepi still safe in his arms (if shaking like a leaf), his eyes widened.

"Brother?"

Ed was biting his lip, worry in his eyes. "Wait here and look after Riolu," he said softly. "I'm gonna see about finding something to bind his leg." Ed knew that pokemon healed many times faster than humans, but it still couldn't hurt.

Riolu crooned at him as he left, and when he returned, he could feel Riolu's eyes on him the whole time he was clumsily binding the pokemon's leg.

They already had three mouths to try, and fail, to feed. What was one more?

* * *

Eevee showed up two days after Ed first figured out that to live, they needed to take life, and her timing couldn't have been better.

Their traps were good; Ed knew that. The rabbits they'd managed to catch proved that. But Riolu didn't eat meat, and, unable to get up with his hurt leg, and with Ed and Al completely clueless as to which berries were edible, he was whining with hunger every night, as quietly as he could manage. And Ed felt _awful_.

So when Al turned up with two cupped hands full of berries and a proud-looking Eevee by his side, and Riolu's eyes lit right up, Ed smiled and waved and welcomed the Eevee in.

* * *

Izumi came to get them at the end of the month, and she looked surprised to see so many Pokemon with them, despite how many were on the island; Ed admitted to himself that yeah, that probably wasn't the point at all.

Still, she smiled, and Granbull huffed and puffed and tried not to do the same, and Riolu, leg now healed right up, hopped in defiantly after Ed, crossing his arms and huffing. Al climbed in and gave Izumi a hopeful look with an armful of puppy-dog-eyed Togepi, and Eevee strolled in and gave her an expectant look.

Izumi huffed out a laugh. "Yes, you can keep them," she said fondly, turning away. "You did solve the riddle, after all. I think you've earned them."

She took them into town that night and bought them their first set of pokeballs, six each. Riolu beamed at Ed as Ed held one out to him, grinning, and let out a happy cry as Ed tapped him with the pokeball, catching him.

Beside them, Togepi squealed happily as Alphonse gently pressed the ball to his head, and Eevee put her front legs up on Al impatiently, crooning. Al laughed and tossed a second, and Eevee squeed as she was caught as well.

Behind them, Sig chuckled and Izumi smiled fondly.

* * *

**So that's the first chapter of Another Kind of Battle. I'm telling you now that this isn't a priority story, which is why I intended to post it much later. Still, I hope you enjoy it, and please review!**


	2. Prepare for Trouble

**A/N: I meant to post this a lot later, and I'll say more stuff at the end of this... please read!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

Training was hard. Harder than Edward could have imagined.

But it was easier, too, because Al and Riolu were with him every step of the way. Hurting and sweating and panting and learning, just about every minute Ed was.

Ed had been amazed – and a little alarmed – to discover that Izumi knew more about hand-to-hand combat than even Riolu did, and Riolu was a fighting-type pokemon.

As she'd promised, Izumi taught them more than just alchemy. No, she taught them more than even they thought that it was possible to know. Under her, they learned about life, about people, about pokemon, how to do strange things like dodge knives and jump on moving trains.

And, perhaps most importantly, she taught them how to battle, a real Amestrian battle.

Ed knew that in other regions, battling was different. Trainers sent out their pokemon to face off against each other, seeing who knew their pokemon best, who had the best mind for strategy. In Amestris, though, it didn't work that way.

Amestrian battles were a practice that had evolved from the region's bloody, war-torn history. In war, anything went – that included humans fighting side-by-side with their pokemon.

Soldiers came home and found themselves unable to abandon the practice, and they passed it to their children, who taught the style to their friends, and now, just about every Amestrian battle featured both the pokemon and the trainer.

In formal battles, of course, there were strict rules, guidelines on arms and armor. Of course, that didn't stop those things from appearing in street battles, but it limited the damage to the pokemon, at least. Ed was surprised; Amestrian government wasn't usually that kind, but then, everyone went a little strange when it came to pokemon.

"Focus!" Izumi snapped, sending Ed a fiery glare and a knife, and he ducked, gold eyes wide, and nodded frantically as he looked back up.

"Yes, Teacher!"

* * *

Al's two pokeballs tinked together as he knelt to the ground, eyes on the bone-white array in front of him. He glanced at Ed, one pokeball standing out brightly at his belt, and Ed grinned at him.

"Ready, Al?"

"Ready," Al replied confidently.

* * *

Ed's agonized scream ripped through the house, and Riolu struggled harder in his pokeball. _Dammit, _why couldn't he break out? His trainer needed him! His trainer needed him _now!_

Ed and Al had been planning this for months, Riolu knew, maybe longer. And Ed and his brother were smart, really smart – genii. What could have gone wrong?

Ed was gasping for air now, and Riolu banged against his pokeball in panic, making it wobble but nothing more. He needed out! He needed out _now!_

"Dammit!" Ed gasped. "This can't be happening!"

No. No, it couldn't. Riolu felt like crying. Why couldn't he help his trainer? Was he that useless a pokemon?

"It can't be!" Ed gasped out, sounding short of breath and in more pain than he ever had before, in all their time training with Izumi. Riolu pounded on the pokeball. "This wasn't supposed to- He's gone, what've I done?"

He was gone? Who was gone? Riolu couldn't see what was going on, what was happening? Was Al gone? Ed would die if Al was gone, Riolu needed to go help Ed and look for Al, _he needed out-_

"Somebody help me," Ed whimpered, terrified, hurting. "Please, Mom. Mom, please."

Riolu _screeched, _thrashing around in his pokeball with all his fighting-type might, and it wobbled so hard it went rolling, but it didn't break, didn't even crack. Ed! _Ed!_

A few seconds passed in silence as Riolu panted, despair swirling in his mind. He was useless, he was a useless pokemon, Ed may as well throw him away, might well, after this, smash his pokeball in sheer disgust-

Then something must have happened, because Ed screamed. "No! No, this isn't what we wanted!" He sounded like he was at his breaking point, no, Riolu should be _beside him, _he was _useless… _"Riolu, please!" Ed half-sobbed. "Al! Alphonse! _Alphonse!"_

Riolu smashed himself against the wall of his pokeball, again and again, and screamed.

* * *

Riolu didn't escape his pokeball until hours later, and even then, it was because someone let him out. He peeked out from behind his paws and yelped, leaping away, as a giant suit of armor leaned over him.

_"Who are you?" _Riolu growled, half-panicked. _"Where's Ed? Where's my trainer?"_

The armor held its hands up in surrender.

"It's okay," he said in Alphonse's soft, familiar tones, wobbling like he was trying not to cry. "It's okay, Riolu, it's only me. I wanted to let you know that Ed was okay and you can see him now. I'm sorry it took so long to let you out. That must have been awful for you."

Riolu stared up at him with wide eyes – yes, that was the familiar aura, the very same one that Ed hugged and laughed with and loved. Then the words processed.

_Ed!_

Without a second look, Riolu turned and ran toward the open door right nearby, where he could sense Ed's aura, weak but present. They were in a house he'd never seen before, but that was okay – they weren't with Izumi, he recalled, they were in another town, a smaller one. Ed had said that that was where they were going, but they hadn't had a chance to see it before-

Ed!

Riolu ran up to the occupied bed, red eyes wide and panicked. Ed's breathing was shallow and labored, his shape strange under the covers, and Riolu, now that he was closer, could sense pain like he knew Ed had never felt before.

He crooned at his trainer, worried. _"Ed? Ed, wake up."_

A Minun, curled up next to him, silent and sad, lifted its head to look at him.

_"Who are you?" _she asked in a whisper, trying not to disturb his trainer.

_"Ed's Riolu," _he said shortly, leaning closer and standing on his tiptoes to get a better look at his trainer. _"Is he okay? He doesn't feel okay!" _Panic crept into his voice.

Tears welled up in Minun's eyes. _"He's hurt real bad," _she whispered. _"I never should have let him go alone." _She burrowed her head into Ed's side, ears drooping.

At that moment, a human girl entered, with blonde hair and sad blue eyes that landed on Riolu, a subdued Chansey by her side and a Happiny wobbling along beside her, trying not to cry.

"Oh," she said softly in her strange human tongue. "Are you Ed's pokemon?"

Riolu nodded quickly, looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It must have been awful for you."

Riolu growled at her. He deserved it for not being there for Ed! _"What happened?"_

She shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, you probably want to know about Ed, don't you?" He nodded quickly, eyes wide. "He'll live, but, well…" She crossed the room and reached forward. Riolu growled at her, but she didn't stop, pulling back the covers over Ed's right side, and suddenly Riolu was too distracted to growl, because Ed had no right arm.

Riolu reached one paw toward the bandaged area covering his arm – because his arm had to be under there, it had to be – and the girl stopped him.

_"E-Ed?" _Riolu stuttered, frightened. _"Ed, wake up. Please, Ed, you're scaring me. Ed!"_

Minun whimpered, flattening her ears as if to block out the sound, and the girl started to cry.

* * *

**Yeah, I'm sure this is earlier than you all expected. But I just finished Omega Ruby - or I thought I did... I beat the Elite Four, anyway, and I was feeling really happy and pleased with myself and decided to post this, but now aghfsklj _what is happening. _Something about a meteor... I don't remember this, is all. Anyway, please review!**

**UPDATE WITH SPOILERS: I still don't understand, why am I picking a Johto starter?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!**

**MORE UPDATE: THIS SEEMS FAMILIAR. (Also I promise to stop now.)**


	3. Training Time

**A/N: Hi! So here's a new chapter. It's actually been done for a while, but I also want to inform you now that this is pretty much the last of it. I intend to write the rest of the next chapter tonight, but it'd be a while before it was up regardless. I might have another up-and-coming story, however, because I'm impulsive and publish things I write whenever I really feel like it. Enjoy!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Sinnoh Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

When the military man came, Riolu couldn't have been more relieved. Ed had woken the next day, but he hadn't _woken. _He'd barely looked at Al, barely spoken to Riolu, not even acknowledged Togepi when he cuddled him or Eevee when she crooned concerned words.

Riolu hadn't gone back into his pokeball since Al had let him out, had even hidden it when Winry, the girl who'd been the one to tell him that Ed had lost his arm, his leg, that he couldn't fight or train or walk anymore, had tried to make him.

Now Ed's eyes were burning again, aura strong, and ready to go into surgery.

And he was _not going in there without Riolu._

Riolu growled at Winry again, belligerent, and Ed finally smiled softly.

"It's okay, Winry," Ed told her. She stopped. "Riolu won't get in the way, will you, Riolu?"

Riolu shook his head vigorously. No, he wouldn't do anything to jeapordize his trainer. Not anything.

Winry looked ready to argue, but she laid eyes on Ed, helpless in his wheelchair, and sighed.

"Okay," she muttered. "But the moment he gets in the way, he's _out."_

Riolu nodded once, resolute. And no matter how much he wanted to, he didn't move from his corner once through the entire surgery.

* * *

Rehabilitation was long and hard. Al and Riolu were with Ed every step of the way, but that didn't make it much easier – Al was still learning to control his strength, and Riolu was strong enough to help Ed stand back up, but not tall enough to help him stay there.

Still, they managed, somehow, and Riolu had never been more proud of his trainer.

And Ed never once tried to make him go back in his ball.

* * *

"Are you ready for this, Riolu?" Ed asked quietly, steady on his metal leg and metal arm not shaking in the slightest, kneeling in front of Riolu.

They were about to leave Resembool, the place they'd stayed for a year, the place his trainer had been born, to go on a journey of their own. Not a pokemon journey, no – but one maybe even longer, harder, and more life-changing than that.

The first step of that was to get four gym badges, the first requirement before taking the State Alchemy exam.

Just like their battles, Amestris' gym system was different from that of other regions. There were two gyms in each of the main cities: North, East, South, and West. One of these was a civilian gym, and the other, a military one, run by a civilian and a State Alchemist, respectively. You didn't have to be in the military to challenge the military gym, but you needed all of the civilian badges before taking the alchemy exam.

Riolu huffed out a 'huh' and nodded, determined.

"Mi, minu!"

Ed looked up, confused, as Minun came running out, nearly in tears, hopping up and down at Ed's feet, one hand clinging to his black leather pant leg. "Huh?"

"Minu!" she wailed. She reached for his pouch, scrabbling at it frantically. "Mi mi, nu inu!"

Ed, confused, reached into his pouch and pulled out the only thing currently in it, his five remaining pokeballs. Minun snatched one of these up and held it up to him, fierce determination matching Riolu's in her eyes. Ed was still confused.

A now-familiar clanking approached.

"She wants to come, brother," Al said quietly, Plusle on his shoulder, Togepi cuddling up to his upper arm as he cradled him. "They both do."

Ed stared at Minun in surprise. "Really?" he asked. "But… you're a house pokemon. You never wanted to battle."

"Minu!" Minun said fiercely, hopping up and down insistently. "Min minun!"

"You don't care," Ed realized quietly. He bit his lip. "You're really sure? There's no going back."

"Mi_-nu!" _Minun insisted, now more of a whine. She brandished the pokeball.

Ed smiled softly and took the pokeball from her. She stood, tall and determined, and he reached out and tapped her on the head with the pokeball. She disappeared in a streak of red and the pokeball wobbled once, twice, and then binged quietly. He smiled and tucked the ball into his belt, straightening up.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's go."

* * *

"Brother?" Al asked curiously, armor clanking as he walked one step behind Ed. "Why are we taking the walking route? I would have thought that, with your impatience, we would've been taking the trains."

Ed let out a sigh, pushing his bangs out of his eyes with his automail hand as Riolu, too, looked up at him expectantly. "Yeah, I would've preferred that. But remember, Al, I don't just have to beat the four gym leaders." He looked up, gold eyes irritated and face set in a frown. "I don't even have the three pokemon required for my certification, and Minun's not battle-trained yet. I'll use the time it takes getting from city to city to train and catch some more pokemon."

Al let out a soft 'oh', nodding. "I see."

Ed let out a little grin. "Besides, the walking route is traditional, isn't it?" He looked back to the front. "No one ever finishes their first pokemon journey the same as when they started. Walking from place to place, we can probably learn a few things. Maybe even get a few leads ahead of time."

Al brightened. "Yeah! I'd really like to meet some new people, brother."

For a few minutes, both of them were silent. Riolu strode tall, proud, and stoic beside Ed, and Minun hopped nervously a few steps ahead, ears sparking. Ed watched her out of the corner of his eye, but kept facing front.

_"Swellow!"_

Minun let out a startled, fearful squeak and sparked hard. _"Min!"_

Ed laughed and the Swellow swooped over their heads. He leaned down and rubbed one of Minun's ears, barely wincing at the slight shock.

"Don't worry, Minun," he reassured the little blue bunny. "No one'll get past me and Riolu."

Minun sparked again discontentedly. Ed grinned reassuringly and straightened back up.

Ed kept an eye out and smirked when he found a large clearing. He glanced at Riolu, who grinned at him and gave an excited huff.

Ed dropped his pack and took three strides into the clearing. Riolu darted past him and planted himself a way ahead of Ed, facing him with excitement gleaming in his eyes.

Al chuckled quietly and sat down against a tree, waiting patiently. After a moment, he patted the ground beside him and said to Minun, "Come here, Minun. Brother wants you to watch."

"Mi mi?" Minun said uncertainly. Al waited, and finally, Minun darted over and plopped beside Al, fidgeting worriedly.

Ed grinned at Riolu, and then leapt forward, straight at the blue fighting type.

Riolu hissed and dodged aside, but Ed was expecting that; he caught himself on his hands and whirled, aiming a kick at Riolu. Riolu caught his leg and threw him.

Ed yelped and took the fall on his metal leg, rolling to neutralize the rest of the impact. Riolu darted forward and struck at Ed before he could do more than get to his knees. Ed blocked with a metal forearm and struck with the other, catching Riolu squarely in the chest and making him stumble back.

They continued like that for some time, evenly matched. It was clear from the start that Riolu was faster and stronger, but Ed could match him with wit and foresight. This was about typical for a pokemon-human battle; while pokemon were far from stupid, they were more involved in the here and now than thinking two steps ahead.

It helped that a human could, with effort, train themselves to come very close to matching their pokemon in speed and strength.

Finally, both battlers drew to a halt, panting lightly. Ed, dirty and bruised, straightened up and turned, striding over to Minun.

Minun looked interested, despite herself. Ed grinned, shoving mismatched hands into leather pockets.

"That's what you'll be doing," he informed her, voice serious despite his grin. "Sparring with each other'll make us both better." He scuffed his plain combat boots across the ground. "I'll have to get a set of boots with rubbed soles at some point, but I'll deal 'til then." His expression changed to match his tone. "You sure you want to do this?"

Minun, who's ears had been twitching and sparking with interest, leapt to her feet. "Mininu, minunun!" she said furiously.

Ed grinned again. "Great." Backing away a little, he continued, "Move training'll be a little different, but I'll still keep an eye on things. For now…" He grinned. "Come on!"

Minun didn't hesitate this time. She darted toward Ed – fast, because of her size, but not as fast as Riolu. Not nearly.

Ed stepped aside, and Minun, not expecting that, charged right past and overbalanced, tumbling forward.

Ed ignored the opening and waited patiently. Minun pushed up and turned to face him, eyes burning with frustration. She moved differently this time, pattern jagged and jumpy.

Ed let her clip him this time and frowned when he hardly felt it. He stopped, straightening out of his battle stance, and Minun turned and glared at him, brimming with frustration.

"Mi, minu!" Minun snapped, angry at herself.

Al, voice soft, nonetheless said what both of them were thinking. "Brother, this isn't working."

Ed made a frustrated noise and nodded. Minun deflated, clearly upset. Ed smiled at her halfheartedly.

"No, it's alright, Minun. It's not your fault, it just means I'm not very good at this yet." He paused contemplatively, thinking for a moment. Finally, he nodded decisively, stepped back, and spread his arms. "Minun, use Tackle on me."

Minun gave him a startled look. Al looked at her and gave her a warm look.

"It's alright, Minun. Teacher trains her pokemon this way, too. And she trained us this way."

Minun nodded, focused on Ed, and charged. He let it hit him this time, swaying back slightly with the hit.

Of course, having always been a house pokemon, Minun had never fought before, not even in the wild.

"Again," Ed ordered, gold eyes confident.

Minun gritted her teeth and charged, hitting Ed again. Again, Ed hardly swayed back. Minun deflated. Ed smiled gently and knelt down in front of the little blue pokemon.

"You're small," Ed told her, ignoring Al's badly stifled laugh, "so no one expects you to be strong. But I know you, Minun, and I _know _you can be strong. You can do this." He stood back up. "Minun, Tackle."

Minun used Tackle.

* * *

**Alright, so I hope you liked that. Anything you have to say is much appreciated - if you've got an idea or a request, go for it. I promise I won't laugh. (Unless it's a pairing, then I might. *grin*) By the way, assuming I get that far, Ash - from immediately post-Johto - will be showing up eventually. He'll be about Thirteen and he'll have his Johto team because starting in Amestris with a new team is a bad idea. Please review!**


	4. Just a Little Trouble

**A/N: Heh... SO I got a really nice review and finally remembered to post this. I've got the next few chapters done already, but I plan to space them out a bit.**

**Thank you to linkthetoaoftime, The fallen flames, BetterWithThree101, tylerxc626, and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

Ed didn't know how long they'd been at it when he spotted something in the forest. Glancing at Al, he saw that he'd seen it already, and was drawing steadily closer, as subtly as possible. Riolu was ignoring it altogether, red eyes intent on Ed and Minun, legs folded neatly and paws in his lap.

Ed half-listened as Al deemed himself close enough and said softly, "Hello."

To Ed's surprise, he heard a very human squeak; a young girl, if he had to gu- He stumbled back a step and grunted as Minun Tackled him again.

"It's alright," Al said hastily. "I won't hurt you. I just wondered what you were doing all alone."

The girl hesitated for a long moment. "…I got lost," she admitted finally, sounding young and scared. "I'm sorry. Mom told me not to go off, but I saw a really neat pokemon and followed it. It went away and I turned around and…" She whimpered, sounding close to tears.

"And you didn't know where you were," Al finished, tone understanding. "Don't worry, it happens to everyone. Do you like pokemon?"

"Uh-huh!" the girl confirmed, cheered. "They're the best! I was watching that boy with the Minun. Is he a trainer?"

"Yeah," Al confirmed. "Riolu is his, too. He's my brother."

"Ooh!" the girl squealed, excited. "Do you have pokemon, too? Can I see them?"

"Sure," Al told her. Ed glanced up to see two flashes of red. "This is Togepi, and this is Plusle. They're both really friendly."

The girl squealed again; from the happy "Togeprrrri!", Ed qould guess that Togei had tackled her to cuddle, as he was wont to do.

"Plu, plus elplue?" Plusle questioned.

"My name is Annie!" the girl said happily, thoughts of being lost forgotten. "I'm five!"

"Plusle!" Plusle sounded pleased. Minun's ears pricked up and Ed smiled at her, then stepped back. Minun took her cue and straightened up, head turned to look curiously at where Al and Annie were.

Ed looked at Riolu, but the black-and-blue pokemon was already heading for him, steps light and confident.

As soon as Riolu reached him, Ed reached out and scratched his head affectionately, making him huff in pleasure, eyes drifting half-shut. Ed chuckled at him and lifted his hand, moving forward to the edge of the clearing. Riolu huffed, shook his head, and followed.

Sure enough, a girl with brown hair was being cuddled half to death by a very happy Togepi, laughing. Togepi was crooning and nuzzling up to her head, while Plusle knelt next to them, watching.

As they entered, Plusle looked up, smiled, waved, and tilted her head at Minun. "Plu?"

"Min!" Minun replied, looking tired, but very pleased with herself.

"She did great," confirmed Ed, giving Minun a grin. Riolu huffed and nodded in agreement. Minun glowed.

Annie sat up, Togepi squealing as he tumbled off his perch into her arms. "Hi!" she said cheerfully. "I'm Annie!" She held out her hand.

Ed smiled and shook it. "I'm Ed," he returned. "And this is Minun and Riolu." Both of them waved. Annie waved back. "Hey, so I overheard that you were lost. Al and I aren't in a hurry-" At least, not yet. "-so what do you say about us taking you home?"

Annie's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked, relieved.

"Sure," Al answered, comforting. "Like brother said, we're not in a hurry right now. We can take you home."

Annie beamed, carefully put Togepi down, and hugged Al, then Ed. "Thank you!"

Ed smiled at her awkwardly, then looked at Al questioningly.

"We can probably see it from here," Al agreed, understanding perfectly. "Why don't you and Riolu look?"

Ed nodded and Riolu hopped onto a tree, climbing it nimbly. Ed climbed another with a little more caution, reaching the top a few minutes after.

Ed squinted his eyes, gaze sweeping the forest canopy, but saw nothing. After a few minutes, though, Riolu huffed out an 'uh' and pointed.

Ed turned and looked, and could just spot the top of a house, a surprising distance away. If their perches were just a little lower, he wouldn't have seen it at all.

Ed grinned at Riolu, who beamed back, and started to climb down.

Al and Annie were waiting for them at the bottom, expectant. Ed nodded in the direction of the house. "Riolu saw a house that way. It's pretty far, but it shouldn't take long."

Al brightened. "That's great!" Annie beamed.

"Let's go!" Annie exclaimed, bouncing in excitement.

Annie ran a few steps ahead and Ed and Al followed behind. Pokemon scattered from the noise, and Plusle sat neatly on one of Al's shoulders, while Minun took the other, and a reclaimed Togepi occupied the crook of Al's arm.

A few times, Riolu or Ed climbed up to check their course, and eventually, they reached a large clearing, with a neat house and what looked like a small pokemon ranch.

As they approached, a few pokemon bounded out. A Growlithe tackled Annie to lick her face, and a baby Squirtle leaned over to grin at her.

"Squirtle!" it said triumphantly. It looked at the Growlithe, smirking. "Squirtle, squirtle squirtle squirtle."

"Grow," Growlithe snorted at him, backing off of Annie. She sat up, beaming.

"Growlithe!" she said happily. "Squirtle!"

They grinned at her.

"Mom's a pokemon breeder," Annie explained to Ed and Al, then turned toward the house, cupped her hands around her mouth, and called out, "Mom! I'm home!"

Nothing happened. She deflated, eyes shining with anxiety.

"Maybe she's out looking for you," Al suggested, looking back toward the forest.

"Most likely," Ed agreed, seeing Annie brighten. He looked at Riolu. "Riolu, could you go find her and bring her here?"

Riolu nodded and turned, running off and disappearing into the forest.

Ed and Al left Plusle, Minun, and Togepi to entertain Annie while they talked quietly a little to the side, checking the edge of the forest periodically. Finally, just when Al was beginning to worry, a voice called out from the forest,

"Annie!"

Annie brightened and hopped up, Plusle hastily flipping out of her grip before she could drop her. "Mom!"

A tall woman with brown hair like Annie's was emerging from the forest, pulled along by an insistant Riolu. Upon finding Annie, her eyes flooded with relief.

"Annie!" Annie ran up to her just as Riolu released the worried mother's hand and the little girl jumped into her arms, beaming. "Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I was so worried about you, what on earth were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Mom," Annie murmured, trying to press herself further into her mother. "But I saw a pokemon."

The mother sighed. "Of course you did." Loosening her grip slightly, allowing Annie to slide down to the ground, she looked up and found Ed and Al. "Hello. One of you must be this Riolu's trainer." She held out her hand with a wan smile. "I'm Vivianne. I can't thank you enough for finding my daughter."

Ed grabbed it and shook it, expression slightly embarrassed, Riolu darting over to stand by his trainer. "It was nothing, ma'am, really."

"No, no," Vivianne insisted, stepping back a little. "Why don't you come in? And what are your names?"

Ed shifted slightly. "If you're sure…" He smiled a little. "I'm Ed, and this is my little brother Al." He nodded to the pokemon swarming Annie's feet insistently, almost being tripped over. "Minun's mine as well, but Plusle and Togepi are Al's."

"I see," Vivianne smiled, holding her daughter's hand tight as she opened the door into her home and stepped aside to let them in. "And are you both trainers?"

"Just brother," Al told her, embarrassed as well. Armor was an unspeakable advantage in a pokemon battle. "I'd like to be a breeder someday."

Vivianne laughed. "Well, I suppose that armor would work well as a deterrent."

Al forced an awkward laugh of his own. "Eheh, yeah…"

Ed changed the subject hastily, giving Al a guilty look. "We actually just started travelling. I'm trying to get the first four gym badges."

Vivanne looked surprised. "Really?" She gestured for them to sit down at the small wood table, and Annie went off to play with the friendly pokemon. Riolu sat down, legs crossed, beside Ed's chair. "That's interesting. Amestris really isn't friendly to beginning trainers." She looked concerned. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Ed shrugged and grinned, nodding. "Sure. Don't worry about me, me and Al've been training with Teacher for a couple years now. She's taught us just about everything we know." Al nodded frantically in agreement.

Vivianne relaxed slightly, though the worried expression didn't fade. "Well, if you're certain. What made you want to be a trainer, Ed?"

Ed half-smiled and half-grimaced. "Ah, well, I've always liked pokemon." He chuckled. "Who doesn't? And I'm pretty competetive, Al can testify that." He grinned at Al, who laughed and nodded in affirmation. "But, well, there was a pretty bad accident recently, and…" He shrugged. "Well, I have some things I need to do."

Vivianne's eyes had fallen to Ed's wrist, and Ed realized self-consciously that his sleeve had risen above his glove. He tugged it down, but Vivianne had already looked back up.

"I see," Vivianne said quietly. She forced a smile. "Well, you could certainly do worse. Where are you two from?"

"Resembool, not far from here," Alphonse provided, voice bright.

Vivianne, slightly startled, laughed. "Wow! You certainly weren't joking when you said you'd just started. Does that make this your first day?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah. We've been preparing for a while, but this is our first day."

Vivianne smiled and shook her head. "Well, now, I can't say no to that. It's already pretty late. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Ed started. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Vivianne assured him. "A trainer's first night is special."

Ed grinned. "Then thanks. We'd love to."

* * *

After dinner, which Ed loved, Vivianne eyed them thoughtfully. "You know, by now it's really late," she said slowly.

Ed looked outside and nodded ruefully. "Yeah. I guess we won't be getting any farther tonight, huh, Riolu, Al?"

Riolu huffed and shook his head. Al shrugged.

"There's always tomorrow, brother."

Ed stood up and smiled at Vivianne. "Thanks for giving us dinner, Vivianne, but we should probably go find somewhere to set up camp."

Vivianne's eyes widened. "I couldn't have you do that!" She smiled. "It's so late already, you must stay the night."

Ed looked slightly uncertain, but he smiled. "If you're sure…" he allowed. "Thanks a lot."

"It's the least I can do," Vivianne smiled, looking at Annie.

* * *

**Um. I, ah. Didn't realize how far ahead I'd gotten. *flush* Sorry again. In further apology, expect another update tomorrow. But now I need to go study. For finals. Ergh. Thanks for reading and please review! *goes off muttering* **


	5. A Little MORE Trouble

**A/N: Ah! I'd nearly forgotten. The promised extra chapter. Here you go!**

**Thank you to no one for reviewing! I didn't give anyone any time, it seems. Except for, you know, a day.**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

"I'm still not sure I've thanked you enough," Vivianne admitted, standing just outside her door while Annie hugged each of the boys tightly.

Ed smiled at her awkwardly and laughed. "Don't worry, ma'am, really. Anyone would have done it."

Vivianne smiled fondly. "Perhaps," she allowed. "But they didn't. You did." She brightened. "Oh, I know! I'll be right back."

She turned and ducked into the house. Riolu tilted his head curiously, and Ed and Al stared after her in puzzlement.

Annie's eyes, though, widened. "Ooh!" she breathed, bouncing excitedly. "Ooh, I know!" She turned and beamed up at Ed. "You're really gonna like this, Ed, promise!"

Ed tilted his head at her curiously. "Like what?" he frowned.

Annie, bursting with excitement though she was, didn't get a chance to answer – Vivianne returned, and in her arms, she cradled a large, brown pokemon egg.

Ed's eyes widened and Al gasped. Ed held his hands up defensively. "Uh, no, I really can't take that-" He'd feel unbearably guilty.

"Don't you like it?" Annie asked, eyes round and upset. Ed winced.

"Oh, please do," Vivianne pleaded. "You'd be doing me a favor, really. One of my Eevees had an egg with a wild pokemon, but clients are so particular about having pure Eevees, though I can't imagine why. Please?"

"Uh…" Ed stared at it uncertainly. Then he looked at her again, gold eyes wary. Finally, he smiled. "Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm certain," Vivianne assured him, holding it out with a grateful smile.

Ed took it in careful hands, praying that his automail wouldn't do any harm to it. He looked up at Al, who gave him a warm look, and then back down to the egg. Then he cradled it carefully in his arms and smiled at Vivianne. "Thanks."

"It was nothing," Vivianne claimed. She smiled at Annie. "Say goodbye, Annie."

Annie waved at them, smiling. "Goodbye, Ed! Goodbye, Al! Goodbye, Riolu!"

All three of them waved back, and then they turned and went on their way.

At some point during the walk, Al let all of his pokemon out, and Ed followed suit.

That left Eevee striding confidently practically under Al's feet, somehow managing not to get in the way. Plusle sat on Al's shoulder, and Togepi cuddling in the crook of his arm. Minun sat on one of Ed's shoulders, Riolu strode beside him, and the egg sat carefully cradled in his arms.

"We'll have to get a carrier for that," Al commented to Ed, looking at the egg. Eevee crooned in agreement, brown eyes intent on the Eevee egg. Ed had to chuckle. Soon she'd have a friend.

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "We can probably find one in East City." He frowned. "I don't know much about pokemon eggs."

"I do!" Al said eagerly. Ed smiled up at his little brother. Of course he did; he wanted to be a breeder. "The books say that you need to keep them warm, and they'll hatch when they're ready. And then you can't put them in a pokeball for six weeks, and can't start training them for eight."

Ed nodded thoughtfully. "Alright." He looked at the egg uncertainly. "You sure you don't want it, Al?"

Al laughed. "Don't be silly, brother. It's yours."

Ed chuckled ruefully. "Yeah…"

Riolu huffed up at Ed, smiling, and Ed shrugged.

"Minu," Minun said proudly.

"Plusle," Plusle agreed happily. "Plus plus lusle!"

"Miiii nun!" Minun chirped

"Togepi?" Togepi squirmed out of Al's grip and hopped fearlessly over to Ed, who freaked out as the little guy nearly fell off. "Toge togeprrri?" Togepi was gazing curiously at the egg.

"It's a pokemon egg, Togepi," Al explained gently. "Like yours, but it hasn't hatched yet. When it does, it'll be a little Eevee."

"Togeprrrri," cooed Togepi, awestruck eyes on the large egg. "Toge togeprrri!"

Al laughed. "You'll be great friends," he said with certainty.

Ed laughed, too, smiling up at his little brother. The smile faded as he watched Plusle snuggle up to cold metal, Al not even noticing until he looked.

Abruptly, Ed sped up. "C'mon, the faster we are, the sooner we can get to East City!" he said confidently, looking over his shoulder.

Al sighed. "I knew his patience couldn't last for long," he muttered, catching up.

* * *

"Alright, Riolu," Ed said confidently, striding forward. "You'll be working on Quick Attack some more. I want you to be able to attack a tree from the one next to it. Let me know when you can smash the bark in."

Riolu huffed and nodded, darting over to a tree and climbing up. As Ed watched, Riolu focused on the other tree and sprang at it, attempting to give it a strong enough Quick Attack to dent it.

Ed looked down at Minun and smiled. "I'll be working with you again, Minun. Your Tackle's a lot better now, so we'll be working on your electricity."

Minun's ears sparked and she gave him a worried look. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it, Minun. I'm used to it from Teacher's Luxray – he shocked me all the time. Alright, Spark."

Minun didn't hesitate, charging up a strong Spark and releasing it straight at him. He cringed – it hurt more than he'd expected, even accounting for his automail.

When it stopped, he paused for a moment, resisting the urge to rub his shoulder port. "Not bad," he told Minun with a grin. "Again, stronger."

Minun's eyes narrowed. "Min, min, min, min… Min!" She shocked him hard and he flinched, eyes closing for a short moment. When he opened them again, Minun looked worried.

"Again," he panted out. Ow. Metal and electricity really didn't mix.

Minun looked reluctant, but she obeyed. "Min min min… Min!"

For the briefest moment, Ed blacked out. When he came to, both his pokemon were leaning over him, worried, and Al was fretting just above them, soulfire eyes wide.

"I'm fine," Ed rasped, pushing himself up. "That… that was good, Minun."

"Minu," Minun said reluctantly.

"You are not fine!" Al said fiercely, Plusle peeking concernedly over his shoulder. "No more of that, brother! You're hurting yourself!"

Ed winced as he stood up, gingerly putting weight on his automail leg. "Maybe you have a point," he conceded reluctantly. Riolu huffed up at him, frowning. "Yeah, yeah," Ed sighed, smiling reluctantly. "Okay, so enough of that. Riolu, do you mind sparring with Minun a little? Let her use her electricity."

Riolu, still looking at him worriedly, nodded quickly. Then, deciding Ed was good enough, he backed up a little and looked at Minun.

Minun looked less convinced, but she, too, backed up, and growled a challenge at Riolu.

Riolu hissed and darted forward, moving fast – working on Quick Attack like Ed had asked him to before, Ed noted. Ed watched as Minun aimed shock after shock at him, undeterred by her misses, frowning all the while.

"It's not a weakness, brother," Al told him, knowing what he was thinking without even needing to ask. "It's like hitting a grass type with a fire type move. You can't help it."

Ed sighed. "Yeah, I guess," he said reluctantly. "But I'll have to work on that. Minun's not even battle-trained yet and she took me down in three shots."

"You're getting those boots, right?" Al asked encouragingly. "Those'll do fine, Ed."

"Yeah…" Ed still looked doubtful. Then he looked up at Al and smiled halfheartedly. "One more thing for the list, right, Al? What's it up to now?"

"Rubber-soled boots, an egg carrier, potions, and food for the next part of the journey," Al provided helpfully.

Ed nodded to himself. "Yeah, that sounds about right." He looked up at Plusle and smiled. "Sound right to you?"

Plusle chirped and nodded in agreement. Ed grinned.

"That's alright, then."

Their first night outside, the sky was clear and the stars were shining. Ed took the opportunity to skip the makeshift tent entirely and laid on his back, hands beneath his head, staring up at the stars.

"That's one of the things I'll have to buy," he said ruefully. "A sleeping bag and a tent. Guess I'll need a compression cube too, huh, Al?"

"Yeah," Al said softly, head tilted back to look at the night sky. "Go to sleep, brother. I'll make a list of what we'll need, okay?"

"Yeah," Ed echoed quietly, closing his eyes. Riolu, curled up against his side, crooned and closed his, too.

* * *

**So there! Another chapter. Next'll be in a while. By the way, if anyone's interested, I've got a new pure Pokemon fanfic out now, been working on the idea for a while. It's a variation of Pokeraised!Ash, which is a personal favorite of mine. It's called Notes in a Melody and only the first chapter is out, but the next two (the rest of it, in other words) is finished, as is the first two chapters of the next part in the series and the plans for the last part. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Seel of Approval

**A/N: Ahaha. So I'm still way ahead... *sheepish* Whatever. I'll try to remember to update this, but I missed another story's scheduled update and it made me feel guilty to update this one instead... which is stupid, I know. *sigh* Sorry! But I'll try to do better. I do have some leeway with this story, after all.**

**Thank you to tylerxc626, MissMoe, and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was just in the sky and he could hear pidgeys and taillows chirping cheerfully. He sat up, yawning, and Riolu opened his eyes to look at him.

Al looked up and spotted him. "Oh, brother! You're up!"

Ed rubbed the back of his head and nodded. "Yeah." He made to stretch and felt his arm creak lightly. "Oh. Crap."

Al chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, I realized that, too. It's on the list."

Ed nodded absently and stood up, looking toward where East City was supposed to be. "Guess we can't waste any more time, huh, Al? We'll need to reach the city in the next few days if we don't want me to start having trouble moving."

Al nodded. "But that shouldn't be hard. We're passing the river today, and we might want to train Plusle and Minun there, but otherwise I don't think there's anything of interest on the way."

Ed grinned. "Great." He looked at Riolu. "You ready?"

Riolu grinned at him, huffed, and nodded, hopping to his feet. Ed stretched again and then started walked, leading the way to East City.

They hadn't been walking for half an hour before they reached the river Al had mentioned. Al was surprised; he hadn't thought they'd gotten that far already.

"Hey, Al, do you think I should get a water pokémon?" Ed wondered, frowning.

"It might not be a bad idea, brother," Al replied. "But let's wait for a bit, alright?"

Ed nodded absently and reached for Minun's pokéball, releasing her. She turned around for a minute before tilting her head up at him. "Minu?"

Ed grinned at her with warm familiarity. "You up for training?" he asked the little pokémon. Minun brightened and nodded; she'd taken to battling better than Ed had expected, which relieved him of a few worries.

Ed bent down and picked up a few stones. "We're not working on power today. We're working on accuracy," he explained, dropping them into his coat's deep pockets. "I'm gonna throw these into the air, and you'll scorch them without moving."

"Min!" Minun nodded seriously and backed up a few steps, little limbs braced for the newest training session.

Ed weighed a stone in his hand for a moment before tossing it into the air. Minun aimed a Spark at it, missing it entirely. Ed pretended not to notice and threw another, which Minun hit, charring it.

Cold water soaked Ed's back and he yelped, dropping the stone he'd just taken out of his pocket.

"Min?" Minun questioned, peeking past Ed while Al laughed.

"I think it wants to play with you," he said, delighted.

Ed frowned and turned around. A Seel waved its tail and grinned at him, showing sharp teeth but not looking menacing in the least.

"You wanna play?" Ed challenged, smirking right back. He glanced at Riolu, who grinned as well and stepped forward, anticipatory growl rumbling in his chest.

"Seeeel!" Seel crooned, flipping in the water and waving its tail again. Another spray of water, still playful, soaked Ed, and he shook himself, scowling at it.

"You were thinking about getting a water pokémon," Al said thoughtfully, taking a few wary steps back from the water. Plusle, on his shoulder, tilted her head.

"Pluuu," she agreed.

"Dew! Dew gong!"

A Dewgong emerged from the water, headbutting Seel. Seel protested this with a swat of its tail and barked. Dewgong looked at Ed and barked, too.

Ed shrugged, fingering an empty pokéball. "Hey, it's their choice," he said evenly, throwing the pokéball and catching it easily.

"Seeeel!" complained Seel. It hit the Dewgong with its tail again.

Dewgong looked hesitant, but it backed off, puffing reluctantly. Seel and Ed both grinned.

The river, Ed could tell, wasn't deep enough to drown in. That assured, he didn't hesitate before dropping his pack and leaping in, making Al protest at the splash.

"Brother!"

"Sorry, Al!" Ed called over his shoulder, stuffing the pokéball into his more easily-accessed pocket.

Seel's expression had changed, focusing, though it still grinned. It turned its back and waved its tail tauntingly, smirking at Ed.

Ed grinned. "Oh, you're getting it now!" he called to it. "Riolu, Quick Attack, just like you've been practicing!"

"Huh!"

Riolu hurled itself from the bank and to the Seel, slamming into it hard. Seel cried out, but Ed still didn't hesitate to lunge forward and grab its tail in one automail hand, hauling it up and over.

"Batter's up!" he called to Riolu, smirking. Riolu smirked and nodded and darted after Seel, and a good old-fashioned Tackle brought it to shore.

Seel, now stranded, flopped a little before it managed to flip onto its front, but out of the water, it had lost its speed advantage, and Ed pulled himself out and called, "Quick Attack, one more time!"

Riolu sped toward Seel and crashed into it full-tilt, and Seel whimpered from where it landed ten feet away. Ed grinned.

"Pokéball, go!"

The pokéball came out of his pocket and he threw it at the Seel. It hit, shook once, twice, three, four times, and then binged.

Ed paused, and then one, two, three moments passed before a grin broke across his face and he punched the air triumphantly. "Got it!" He looked at Al and grinned. "Al, I got it!"

"Yes, you did," Al agreed, amused. Plusle chortled, climbing onto his head and clinging to the spike, legs dangling almost to Al's eyes.

Ed strode over to the ball and bent down, picking it up. He turned around and cocked his head at Dewgong, who 'gong'ed mournfully. Ed's grin faded into something more tired, and he sighed and opened the pokéball.

Seel manifested in the water and swam in a circle before looking at Ed, grinning, and clapping its fins. "Seel! Seel!"

"Deww…" Dewgong sighed, swimming over and nuzzling Seel worriedly.

Ed watched for a few moments before Al said pointedly, "Ed," and he sighed and strode back to the river, slipping in and wading over to them.

"Hey," he said quietly to the Dewgong, golden eyes even. He crouched a little, bringing the water almost to chin level. "I'll take care of Seel, alright? We'll be battling, but he wants that." He was pretty confident in his guess, anyway. "Don't worry."

He firmly squashed the idea of what he was planning on doing out of his mind.

Dewgong looked up at him, then nodded, nuzzled Seel one last time, and turned to swim down the river.

Ed grinned and looked down at Seel. "You must be pretty young, huh," he mused. Seel headbutted his leg indignantly. Ed laughed. "Don't worry about it, that's good. Lots of room for improvement, yeah?"

Seel yelped in agreement, eyes sparkling.

Ed grinned again, recalled him, and turned to Al, chest deep in the water. "That's three," he said with cheer he didn't feel.

"Yeah," Al confirmed, trying his best to sound pleased as well. "That's three."

* * *

**And there you go! By the way, just because he has the three required pokemon doesn't mean he's got all the one's he's gonna have. While not everyone will have a full team of six - in fact, Ed's the only one besides Grand, who doesn't matter - Ed will. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	7. Dark Battle

**A/N: Alright, so I'm doing work on stuff I shouldn't be working on... actually, that's a lie, I'm so behind on Fear of Infinity it's not even funny, I'm being mean and slow... ahem. Anyway. I've still got a few chapters stored for this one, so go ahead and enjoy.**

**Thank you to MissMoe and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

It took three more days to reach East City, and half of that one to find a place to stay, using money Trisha had saved them from Hohenheim.

"So," Ed mused, kicking his feet thoughtfully, rhythmically thumping against the bed frame. "What first?"

"Automail oil first," Al said firmly, listening to Ed's leg creak. "Then we can go around and get everything else. I still remember the list."

Ed nodded thoughtfully. "We got here in kind of a hurry, so we should probably take a day to train before I challenge the gym." He shuddered. "Thank god automail isn't against any of the gyms' rules. Don't know what I'd do then."

Al nodded. Then he hesitated. "Brother?"

Ed paused and looked up at Al. "Yeah, Al?"

"What if you can't beat the gym?"

Ed stiffened. "I will," he said firmly.

"But what if you can't?" Al pressed. "Gym leaders are gym leaders for a reason, and they've been training for much longer than you have, brother. Even you and Riolu have only been training for a few years. Some of the gym leaders have trained for over a decade."

Ed's gold eyes sparked, and his expression was almost desperate.

"Failure isn't an option, Al," he said with cold certainty. He looked up at Riolu. "You get that, right, Riolu?"

Riolu, expression gone serious, nodded. "Huh." He crossed his arms.

Ed brushed his fingers over Minun and Seel's pokéballs.

"Seel isn't ready for battle yet," he said regretfully. "But Fighting type has an advantage over Dark type, and Electric isn't bad either. We'll make do." Looking up at Al, he grinned confidently. "Don't worry, Al. We can do this."

Al tilted his head worriedly. "I'm not worried about the pokémon," he said softly. "But what about the gym leaders, brother? They have a lot of experience, and you don't heal like pokémon do."

Ed's smile faded slightly and his right hand twitched. "I'll be fine," he said with false confidence.

Al wasn't convinced, but he agreed, "Okay, brother."

* * *

Two days later, Ed looked up at the gym.

Gyms were some of the grandest buildings in each city, second only to the command centers. East City's civilian gym, the Dark Type gym, was a large, dark purple dome set on obsidian and carved with nasty statues of various menacing pokémon.

The local gym leader was a man called Cameron, once a runner-up for a State Alchemist title, now traditionally the third hurdle for any aspiring trainer. Very few managed to get his badge. Fewer managed to beat him.

Ed flexed his automail fingers and reached forward to push open the double doors, nervousness bubbling up in his stomach and a fierce glare in his eyes.

"Uh!" Riolu grinned up at him, red eyes sparkling confidently, and Ed grinned weakly back before striding through.

"You'll do fine, brother," Al soothed, despite his own misgivings. His brother was strong, he reminded himself. He'd been training a long time and he was almost as good as Al.

Almost.

"Plusle plu!" Plusle agreed fervently.

The gym was dark when Ed walked in alone, but he lifted his head, eyes flashing, and found the gym leader in the darkness a moment before he spoke.

"A challenger, huh?"

The lights flickered on and Cameron, tall and imposing, leapt down, landing neatly with a sneer.

Cameron was a man with dark skin and darker clothes, dark brown hair and eyes that were almost black.

"I think your ambition's a little big for your body, sunshine."

Ed's eyes flashed and he clenched his fists, stepping forward. "Who the hell are you calling small?"

Cameron laughed unpleasantly, arms crossing. "You don't have what it takes."

"Feel like proving that?" Ed snapped, bristling.

Cameron smirked and reached down to his belt. "Mightyena!" he called.

Red light twisted and a large Mightyena, larger than normal, landed firmly on all four feet and bared its teeth, growling lowly.

Riolu stepped forward and growled right back, eyes flashing. Cameron laughed out loud.

"Even your pokémon's tiny! That really what you plan to use, sunshine?"

"Got a problem with that?" Ed challenged.

"Not at all," Cameron chuckled, shaking his head. "It's your funeral, sunshine. And it might be literal."

"You wish," Ed hissed. "What're the rules?"

Cameron's eyebrows tilted up and he smirked again. "Two on two. You go down once, you're out. Both your pokémon go down, you're out. Got that, sunshine?"

"Yeah," Ed said tightly, crossing his arms. Riolu crossed his arms, too. "Ready when you are, old man."

Cameron's smirk vanished and he glared. "Oh, you'll pay for that one, sunshine," he hissed.

The arena was in a different room, free of landscaping, just a simple floor. The catch? The room was almost completely dark.

"Asshole," Ed muttered, unease growing. But he had to do this. For Al.

A growl revealed Mightyena's location, and Ed's gold eyes flashed there. Mightyena's dark fur blended perfectly with the darkness, and he could barely make out its outline.

"Still think you can handle me, sunshine?" came Cameron's taunting voice.

Ed tensed and dropped into a battle stance, bared teeth lost in the darkness. "And still have time to eat breakfast," he sniped.

"Alright, alright, break it up," the referee called. Ed wasn't sure why he was here; he wouldn't be able to see a thing in this light. "Let's get this show on the road! Trainers, begin!"

"Mightyena, Bite!"

Ed dodged away from where he'd last heard Mightyena, but the pokémon must have moved since it'd growled, 'cause it crashed into Ed from somewhere else, and the only thing that saved Ed from a nasty Bite was the steel of his arm.

"Uh!"

Riolu's red eyes almost glowed, even in the darkness; Detect, a move Izumi had taught him. Smart. Ed smiled to himself and called, "Riolu, catch and Force Palm!"

Force Palm was the reason they had taken two days instead of the expected one; Riolu had nearly managed it by the end of the first, so Ed had allowed just one more.

That wasn't the only reason, of course.

He threw Mightyena to Riolu, but Cameron, whom Ed had very nearly forgotten, crashed into Riolu and the little pokémon was knocked down, nearly sent flying. Ed's eyes widened. "Riolu!"

"H-hu-uh!" Riolu cried.

Ed hurled himself toward the little pokémon, eyes flashing, but Cameron must have heard him coming – his left leg's steps weren't exactly quiet – and dodged, with Riolu, long before he got there.

"Huh!" Riolu cried again, struggling furiously, but unable to get free. His eyes, wide and panicked, met Ed's through the darkness. "Huh!"

As if that wasn't enough, Ed felt a huge weight crash into him and he was flung forward, straight into a wall he hadn't realized was there.

"Bite!" Cameron commanded again.

Ed yelped as sharp fangs sank into his flesh shoulder and thought fast, rolling over to squash Mightyena into the ground. The fangs were ripped out of his shoulder and he hissed, but jerked away.

There, he moved slowly and quietly away, eyes on Riolu, trapped in Cameron's arms, thinking. He knew, knew, that he hadn't made a sound.

But Riolu's eyes were tracking him perfectly.

He realized that only a split second before Mightyena crashed into him all over again, and this time the teeth sank dangerously close to his neck. He gasped sharply and thrashed.

"Riolu, F-force Palm!" Ed coughed out, automail arm reaching up and bypassing Mightyena's neck to clutch at its leg with all the strength in his steel fingers.

How had Riolu and Mightyena known where he was? It was-

What was it that Cameron had called him? Sunshine?

In a flash, Ed realized; his coloring. Bright gold. Even in darkness like this, it had to make him stand out a mile. And his red coat, his white gloves… Shit.

Shit.

"Huh!"

Riolu made to obey his command and Cameron hastily dropped him. Meanwhile, Ed hastily shed his coat and threw it away, leaving his pitch-black leather jacket. Then he stripped away his gloves and dropped them, too; slightly shiny automail was still a step up from snow white gloves.

"Ha!" Cameron laughed, revealing his location. Sort of. "Finally worked it out, sunshine? It's no use, though. You can't hide your hair or those eyes."

Ed gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to transmute – the darkness would cover him more than long enough to draw a circle – but that, unfortunately, was against the rules.

"Well," Cameron said casually, "I guess the game's up now."

With that, he lunged for Riolu, grabbed him before the little pokémon could react, and bashed his head against the ground hard. Riolu cried out, and Cameron did it again, and again. In just a few more hits, Riolu was out, and Ed's eyes barely had time to widen before Cameron commanded,

"Mightyena, finish him!"

And Mightyena crashed into Ed one last time, banging his head off the wall behind him. Ed's vision went black.

* * *

**That's the first gym battle, then. Or the first part of the first gym battle. Ed's not done yet, obviously. *grin* Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. Keeping Up

**A/N: And another! I'm afraid there's not much to this one, it's mostly emotional, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**

**Thank you to MissMoe for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

It was two hours after Cameron took the cocky unconscious kid and his unfortunate pokémon to the Pokémon Center that he received a call from an old war buddy.

"First Lieutenant Cameron Henberg?" a familiar voice asked promptly.

Cameron rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "I've retired, Mustang, which you know full well," he said boredly. "What do you want?"

"My apologies," Mustang said, slightly resigned. "I know you dislike communicating with the military…"

"Then why are you making me?"

"But this is a matter of consequence," Mustang finished.

Cameron sighed. "What is it, Mustang? Get on with it. I want to check on Mightyena soon." That kid really had done a number on her leg with that automail of his, he'd give him that.

"Then I'll make this quick," Mustang promised. "You should be receiving a challenger within the next few weeks. I'd like you to let me know when he gets there."

"Why?" Cameron frowned, then modified, "No, don't tell me, I probably don't want to know. What's he look like?"

"He'll be a kid," Mustang told him, voice deadly serious. "Blond hair, gold eyes, kind of short."

Cameron frowned, brow furrowing. "Automail arm?" he asked slowly.

"…Yes," Mustang said, voice unreadable. "How did you know?"

"He was just here a couple hours ago," Cameron answered, scratching the back of his head. "Got a good hit in on Mightyena, but not much else. He's at the Pokémon Center right now. What's so special 'bout him?" He knew Mustang never took interest in anyone but for a good reason.

For a long moment, Mustang was silent. When he finally spoke, it was to ask,

"How secure is your line, Henberg?"

That made Cameron pause. How important was this kid? "Checked it last month. It's clear."

Cameron heard Mustang exhale heavily. "I spoke with the kid last year," he told his former comrade. "He'd just lost an arm and a leg and he looked as good as dead. Had one pokémon, a Riolu."

Cameron frowned. "And?" he asked slowly, mind working. If he'd lost his arm and leg the year before, and was just fine now… that meant that he'd done his rehab in under a year.

Definitely more to him that it seemed.

"He's also an alchemist," Mustang continued, voice slightly grave. "One of the most promising I've ever seen."

Cameron bit down hard, jaw clenching. "Mustang, don't you dare tell me…"

"I offered to let him take the State Alchemist exam," Mustang finished.

Cameron restrained the urge to strangle the Lieutenant Colonel, distance be damned. "And what possessed you to do that?" he demanded.

"I think he can," Mustang said simply. "And there are circumstances, Henberg. Suffice to say that the kid needs the title more than most people need their next breath."

Cameron, for a long time, wrestled down the various obscenities he'd very much like to spit out. Finally, he managed, voice harsh, "You better know what you're doing, Mustang."

And then he hung up.

* * *

**It was some time later that Ed, one bandage wrapped around his head and another binding the bites on his shoulder, trudged into the room. Al – who'd been waiting anxiously, too worried to read – leapt up, soulfire eyes going straight to him, Togepi tumbling onto the spare bed in the eleven-year-old's haste.**

"Sorry, Al," was all Ed managed to say, gaze cast to the ground, unable to meet his brother's gaze.

"Brother," whispered Al, taking a faltering step forward. Riolu, fully restored by Nurse Joy, looked up, red eyes uneasy and upset, and that was all it took to bring Al the rest of the way forward, anxiously, but gently, grabbing Ed's shoulders and holding him still to examine him. "How bad?"

Ed shrugged and winced slightly. "I'll be fine," he muttered. He looked at Riolu, who looked back guiltily, and managed a smile. "We'll have to work on fighting blind, Riolu."

"What happened?" Al pleaded, unsatisfied.

Ed sighed and sat on the bed, leaning back a little. Riolu hopped up next to him. "Cameron's a pretty big guy," he told Al. "Not that bad, though. Anyway, I didn't even get to see his second pokémon, but his first was this big-ass Mightyena. Strong Bite attack." Seeing Al's worried look, he added, "I took a Bite to the shoulder and another a little further up. Hit my head on the wall, too. That's all."

"Togeprri," Togepi whimpered, scampering across the floor to Ed's feet. Ed smiled wanly and picked the mini pokémon up, and Togepi cuddled up against him in an attempt to comfort him. Ed carefully squeezed Togepi back, and then looked back to Al and continued,

"Anyway, that wasn't really the problem – the problem was that the arena was dark, really dark." He gestured to himself with his free hand. "He could see me just fine, between the practice and my coloring, but I couldn't see worth shit, which is why we'll have to learn to fight blind."

"Oh," Al said quietly.

Ed looked at him and smiled painfully. "We're trying again in a week," he told his little brother with forced confidence. "That should be long enough to train real good. Power wasn't the problem, after all, it was fighting blind. We can learn that, right, Riolu?"

Riolu 'huh'ed and nodded frantically, guilt still in his eyes; he'd been extremely upset with himself for allowing Cameron to capture and hold him the way he had.

"And you, Riolu," Ed added, "can probably sense them in the dark, outside of Detect. We'll work on that too."

Al sighed, interrupted Ed's trailing thoughts of moves and training. "Brother?"

Ed stopped. "Yeah, Al?"

"…Are you sure you can do this?" Al's eyes shone at him worriedly. "Brother… I don't want you to get hurt. Please."

Ed looked down. Flexed his fingers. Tapped his foot. "Can't help it, Al," he said softly. "But I'll try, okay? I'll try."

"Do. Please, brother."

* * *

**On the fourth day, Ed exhausted himself training and fell asleep on the outskirts of town. Al looked down at him and sighed sadly.**

Ed really was giving this his all; Al was worried that this was taking more than he had to give, especially so soon after his hastened rehabilitation. He wondered if his brother would ever slow down.

But at the same time, in a distant, selfish way, he was glad. Ed was working his hardest, and when Ed worked his hardest, you could be sure that he was going to achieve whatever he was setting out to do, because he would build mountains and dig oceans if he had to. And that meant that Al would get his body back – escape this empty, cold shell, regain his ability to breathe, to sleep, to feel – feel his brother's warmth, Plusle's gentle shock, Togepi's smooth shell, all things that were just distant impressions by now.

Brother, though… Brother, still soft flesh and fragile bone, would always come first.

He picked his brother up and propped him onto his back, though it would be easier to carry him in his arms, and started the walk home. Riolu, exhausted and half-asleep already, stumbled after him, satisfied but tired.

"You both are trying really hard," Al said softly to Riolu, who grunted in return, not looking at him. "But you're trying for Ed, aren't you? Because this means so much to him."

Riolu, red eyes half-glazed, nonetheless looked up at him and grunted again, before tapping Al's hollow leg with one paw.

"For me, too," Al agreed, nodding slightly. "But mostly for brother."

"Huh." Riolu looked ahead. If he could've, Al would've smiled.

"That's okay, Riolu. Brother needs someone to put him first, because we both know he won't."

Riolu glanced up at him and nodded. "Uh. Uh huh."

"That's good," Al said warmly. "I'm glad I have you to help me keep Brother safe, Riolu. Thank you."

Riolu paused, looked up at him, and smiled. "Uh."

Al thought that said more than human words ever could.

* * *

**Not much action in this one, I'm afraid. But! Next chapter, Ed battles the gym again! *grin* Five reviews or one week's time gets the battle.**


	9. Fight, Fight, Fight

**A/N: Now, if you look to your screen, you'll see... a gym battle! Thank you for waiting patiently. Heh.**

**Thank you to dynamicParadox, tylerxc626, and Alisontheperson for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

One week after his defeat, Ed stepped into Cameron's gym once again.

"Back, sunshine?"

Cameron was smirking down at Ed from his perch, but Ed thought that there was a different quality to his eyes; less mocking. He dismissed it quickly, though, and glared up at the cocky gym leader.

"You bet your ass I am," he snapped, arms crossed.

This time around, Ed had abandoned his red coat and white gloves, letting his automail remain visible now that the secret was blown anyway. He'd also temporarily dyed his hair black, though his eyes, he knew, could still give him away.

Additionally, Al had insisted on accompanying him, and the boy shuffled uncomfortably one step behind, Togepi cradled in his arms, Eevee under his feet, and Plusle clinging to his head. It made for a pretty comical image.

"Who's your friend?" Cameron asked, amused eyes flickering over Al. "Armor's against the rules, you know."

"I don't want to fight," Al said hastily. "I just want to watch Brother's battle, okay?"

"Brother, huh?" Cameron mused, eyes running over Al more thoroughly this time. He was beginning to get a small idea about why Mustang said the kid needed the title so bad.

"Leave Al out of it," Ed demanded, drawing Cameron's attention back to him. "I want a rematch!"

Cameron barked a harsh laugh. "Sure thing, sunshine. Just don't cry when you lose."

Ed gritted his teeth.

* * *

**"Trainers, begin!"**

Unlike last time, neither side sprang right into action; instead, soft sounds filled the air, not least of which was the clanking of Al's armor, a sound that Ed barely noticed but that Cameron found highly distracting.

Both sides were listening carefully, making as little noise as possible. Or at least, Ed, Cameron, and Mightyena were.

Riolu, on the other hand, was edging closer and closer to Mightyena, concentration decorating his face as he identified her aura. A grin broke across Ed's face as he judged that enough time had passed.

"Riolu," he ordered. "Force Palm."

"Mightyena, dodge!" Cameron said quickly, and Ed grinned as the man's location was revealed as he dodged as well, throwing himself in that direction and hitting the former soldier hard in the gut, earning himself a choking sound and a cough.

On top of that, blue light briefly flared in the room and Mightyena cried out as Riolu's attack struck, sending it flying halfway across the room, scraping to a halt. Ed heard Al inhale sharply, loud when set against the dark of the room.

Ed grunted as Cameron's fist came down hard on his head and lashed out reflexively, tripping the man up. Cameron didn't go down easy, taking Ed down with him and pinning him to the ground, knee on his stomach.

"Pretty clever," Cameron gritted out with a forced smirk Ed could barely see. "You had your Riolu pick out her aura, didn't you?"

"Yep," Ed replied, and he brought his automail knee up hard, throwing the gym leader off him. "Riolu?"

"Huh!" Riolu sounded slightly panicked. "Huh!"

"Mightyena! Tackle!"

Ed's eyes widened and he pushed himself up, and then gasped sharply as a familiar weight crashed into him. This time, it wasn't a human pinning him; it was a well-trained pokémon, heavy and muscled, teeth bared inches from his eyes. Ed's eyes widened.

A moment later, a pained whine came from Riolu, and Cameron chuckled.

"Gotcha now, sunshine," he muttered. A thud came from Cameron's direction, and Riolu cried out again. Then another, and another. Ed cursed under his breath.

"Brother!" cried Al, who could probably see a little better than the others in the room.

Ed stiffened.

No. He couldn't lose.

He wouldn't lose.

He'd promised Al.

"Riolu! Quick Attack away from him!" he ordered, heaving himself upward and scoring another hard hit with his automail hand, trying to drive Mightyena off him. Mightyena growled in pain, but barely budged, instead biting down on his shoulder in retribution. Ed grunted in pain.

On the other hand, Riolu, from Cameron's sharp, frustrated sound, had clearly succeeded, and Ed called again, "Quick Attack again!"

A hard thud signaled Riolu's success, and Ed bucked again, growling himself. Then an idea sparked and he rolled and lashed out with his leg simultaneously, and Mightyena was propelled off him with a sharp cry and didn't get up again.

"Mightyena is unable to battle!" the referee called out dutifully. Huh. Apparently he could see.

Eyes closed, Ed waited for Cameron to call out his next pokémon. Cameron, for obvious reasons, didn't disappoint.

"Not bad, kid," he said approvingly, face lit up in the brief red light to withdraw his pokémon. "And well done, Mightyena. Go, Sneasel!"

Light flashed again and Ed got a glimpse of a fierce-looking Sneasel just before the darkness returned.

Then he moved fast and tackled Cameron himself, pinning him to the ground with the weight of the automail.

"Not bad, kid."

He could hear Cameron's smirk in his voice and gritted his teeth. Cameron heaved and Ed yelped and did his best to hold on, and Cameron stood up with Ed clinging on to him.

That was a bit of a blow to Ed's pride.

But with the spark of a new idea, he swung over and switched to Cameron's back, his legs around Cameron's waist like a small child and one metal arm digging into his throat.

"Huh!"

Ah. Right. They'd been neglecting something, and Riolu sounded very put off about it, even as he panted almost silently from previous exertion and whatever Cameron had done to him while keeping him in place. Ed suddenly realized he had no idea how badly hurt his pokémon was.

"Riolu! Force Palm!" Ed ordered, worried.

"Sneasel, Scratch!"

Sneasel was faster; Riolu let out a pained, weak cry as Sneasel used Scratch, and then the cry died out.

"Riolu is unable to battle!" the referee announced. Ed's eyes widened.

"I'll get him!" Al said hastily, and the clanking of armor was all any of them heard in the room briefly while Al went to get him.

Riolu moaned quietly and Al reassured him softly, clanking back to his spot.

"All clear!" Al promised, presumably cradling Riolu.

"You did good, Riolu!" Ed grunted, struggling to keep his hold on Cameron with his metal arm as the man struggled to throw him off. His flesh hand reached for his belt and he threw out his pokéball. "Minun, go!"

"Mi mi!" Minun called, sounding more than ready to go.

"Minun, Thunder Wave!"

"Mi, minu!" Electricity lit up the room briefly, and Sneasel cried out, while Cameron just grunted, falling to his knees, as both of them were paralyzed. This was the other reason Ed had taken extra time to get to the gym the first time around; he'd been teaching Minun Thunder Wave.

Ed, of course, was protected by Cameron's body, still between him and Minun.

"Spark!" Ed grunted.

The Sneasel cried out again and Ed let his feet hit the ground, hunching over Cameron and finally doing what he'd been putting off, pressing the hard metal of his automail arm to Cameron's throat.

Cameron grunted again, and he thrashed, trying to throw Ed off. Ed was having none of it; this was for Al, after all. Stress creased the lines of his forehead, unseen.

"Spark," Ed repeated. He saw a flash of Cameron trying to pull off his arm, and Sneasel screamed. "Spark." Flash. Ed felt slightly numb. Cameron started to slump and weaken. "Spark."

The gym leader and his pokémon went down together.

* * *

**Now, I'm afraid that I only actually have one more chapter stored up for this, but then, progress is coming. (I'm just glad Pokemon has relinquished some of my attention. I have other stories, too!) Thanks for reading and please review!**


	10. Lonely Pokemon

**A/N: Eh... Oops? I'm sorry, guys. For some reason I thought I'd published this chapter already, and I was putting off until I wrote another. (Which I now have.) But, um, go ahead. *sheepish laugh***

**Thank you to dissonantToxophilite, tylerxc626, and Alisontheperson for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

That night, the first night back out of East City, they had a tent, a sleeping bag, and really, everything they needed that they should have brought before.

Ed woke up halfway through the night and stepped outside, Al shifting slightly as Ed moved past him but not getting up.

Ed was grateful for that; while he'd never say no if Al wanted to talk, tonight, he wanted to be alone.

He folded his legs and leaned back against a tree, staring up at the sky. They were just on the edge of a forest outside East City, and the difference between that and the desert just beyond was staggering. It was over that he gazed now.

There was nothing but stars, as far as the eye could see. Stars and the moon.

He sighed, a faint frown on his face.

He'd had a nightmare that night. It was about the transmutation, of course, and he deserved it, because it was all his fault.

Al had known it was a bad idea. Al always realized things like that before he did. Ed had known that, too. He just hadn't cared. So of course, Ed had let his foolishness and his pride get away with him.

Ed sighed again, curling up and letting his forehead fall to his knees, eyes closing. Nightmare images flashed behind his eyes, images of gaping mouths and reaching hands and screaming and flashing and white and blood.

Nightmares were so much scarier in real life.

Ed didn't know how long he sat there, but eventually, he became dimly aware of the sound of crying, heartbroken in the otherwise silent night.

Reluctantly, Ed pried his eyes open and lifted his head again. Glowing gold eyes skimmed the endless landscape, and finally, landed on a lonely Cubone, which howled miserably at the moon.

"Cubone, the Lonely Pokémon," Ed murmured to himself, smirking mirthlessly. Slowly, he stood up and stretched, eyes closed, intending to sink back into the trees.

Except, foolishly, ridiculously, he forgot about his new metal limbs - so quiet to his own ears and so loud to a pokémon's.

Abruptly, Ed realized that the sobbing had stopped, and opened his eyes to find the Cubone staring at him with frightened eyes.

Ed smiled, slowly and reassuringly. "It's okay, little guy. I'm not gonna hurt you. I just had a nightmare, okay? Like I bet you did."

Cubone was still staring at him with big, scared eyes, and he held up his hands placatingly, ignoring the way Cubone's gaze flicked to the starlight glittering off his automail.

"I'm going to go back now," he continued, taking one step back, eyes soft with melancholy.

"Cu!" Cubone yelped, eyes widening. To his surprise, it hopped up and stumbled, rushing toward him tears glimmering with moonlight.

Ed frowned suddenly; there was something strange about the way the Cubone walked, like it hurt. Was it injured?

Against his will, Ed knelt down and caught the Cubone, which cried into the crook of his flesh elbow. Deeply uncomfortable, he shifted slightly to account for his new attachment.

When Cubone's tears showed no signs of stopping, Ed sighed, settling back in preparation for a long night.

"Who was it, then?" he mused, mostly to himself. He was well familiar with the curse that plagued young Cubone, having gained a morbid fascination with them over the past year. "Your mother? Father? Sister?"

To his surprise, he felt a nod against his arm, and he sighed and brought up his metal hand to carefully cradle the back of its head, looking down.

"Older?" he asked softly. Head shake. "Younger, then." A nod. "I'm sorry."

Despite urban legend, it wasn't always the mother's skull that a Cubone wore. But they nearly always lost someone, and they always wore their skull.

Ed had heard that Cubone who lost no one grew up to be kangaskhan.

"I lost my mother," he felt the need to tell the little ground-type. "And I nearly lost my little brother trying to get her back."

The little Cubone had stopped crying, but as it lifted its head to look at him, he could still see its tears. Ed kept talking.

"It was my idea," Ed continued, tensing involuntarily. "Al still got the worst of it, though. He's still alive, but…" His shoulders shook, just a little, safely hidden by the dark of night. "But just barely."

Cubone laid its head on his arm again, but it wasn't crying anymore. Just listening.

"I'll fix him someday," Ed promised, gold eyes focused on something Cubone couldn't see. "I told him so, you know? I can't fail him. Even if he hates me for doing this to him-" His voice shook. "-I still need to fix this. It's my fault, not his." His expression crumpled slightly, and he looked down at Cubone, whose dull gaze was fixed on him. "I need to fix this," he repeated.

"Cuuu," Cubone whispered, curling into him a little. "Cu bone bone, cu bone."

"Yeah…" Ed looked at Cubone thoughtfully. "You know what that's like, don't you"

Cubone nodded, then hit him weakly with its bone club. His expression softened.

"You couldn't protect her, could you?" he asked softly.

The tears returned and it shook its head.

"It'll be okay," he promised, stroking it lightly. "You'll stand up and you'll move forward, and next time, you'll be better. We both will."

When he looked back down, Cubone was asleep.

He sighed and made to set Cubone back down, feeling strangely drained but also much better. Then Cubone's small hand tightened on his shirt, and he looked startled for a moment before he smiled softly and stood up, Cubone cradled in his arms.

The walk back to the camp was short; they'd stopped only just short of the desert, after all.

As Ed re-entered the clearing, Al stood up abruptly, the loud clanking sending several Hoothoots hoot-hooting away.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, undisguised relief in his voice.

Cubone stirred and Ed hastily pressed a finger to his lips.

"Sh," he whispered. But there was no need, really; ever-considerate Al had quieted as soon as he saw the sleeping Cubone. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Al."

"It's okay, brother," Al whispered, now moving only slowly and cautiously. "Just go back to bed, okay? You need your sleep."

Ed nodded in acceptance and returned to the tent, laying down with Cubone held close to his chest, and Riolu, still asleep, at his back.

"Huuu," Riolu murmured behind him. Ed winced.

"'s fine," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Ed was out before Riolu could respond.

He woke, hours later, to the ding of a successful capture, his chest cold from where Cubone had vanished into a pokéball.

* * *

**Ahahaha... Eh. Well, Ed now has another pokemon, I now have another chapter, and I'm sure lots of you are very annoyed. But still, thanks for reading and please review!**


	11. Look Ahead

**A/N: Okay! So now there's this one, and NOW I'm out of chapters again. *sigh***

**Thank you to tylerxc626 and guest for reviewing!**

**Title: Another Kind of Battle**

**Author: liketolaugh**

**Rating: T**

**Pairings: None**

**Genre: Friendship/Adventure**

**Warnings: AU**

**Summary: 'An Amestrian battle is different from a battle in any other region. For one thing, a human battles right alongside their pokemon.' 'There were three requirements to be a State Alchemist. First, you had to pass the State Alchemist exam. Second, you had to have at least three pokemon. And third, you had to get the first four gym badges.' (Follows Ed through his Pokemon journey and then skips ahead to a post-2003 anime AU. Post-Hoenn Ash in later chapters.)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fullmetal Alchemist, would I really be here right now? Or Pokemon, for God's sake.**

* * *

Cubone wasn't injured, as it turned out.

No, Cubone was handicapped.

But, as far as Ed was concerned - if Cubone was willing - she could work through it the same way he had. Cubone's limp was bad, but she proved well enough that she could still fight; her swing was strong and her determination easily matched that of the rest of Ed's team.

Now he stayed back as he watched the pokémon play - Plusle and Minun and Eevee and Togepi and Riolu and Cubone and Seel.

Plusle and Minun were playing with Cubone, delighted to have another girl to play with. They were darting in circles around her while she turned around, looking faintly bemused but not bothered in the least. Off to one side, Togepi squealed as he clung to Riolu's back while the other pokémon ran around, grinning happily. Meanwhile, Eevee was curled up next to Seel, whose mobility was limited in the arid environment.

"What are you thinking about, brother?" Al asked him, clanking up from behind. Ed barely reacted, arms around his legs, feeling flesh against steel.

"...Nothing, Al."

"Brother."

Ed sighed. "I just… You remember that I was going to talk to them and offer to let them leave right before we get to Central, right, Al?"

Al nodded, clanking lightly.

"It's their choice," Ed said, half to himself, dim gold eyes on the pokémon. "But Al… what if they do?"

He could almost hear Al's gentle smile in his next words. "They won't."

* * *

Training sessions were more difficult as Ed gained more pokémon, but he wasn't called a prodigy for nothing, and he learned fast.

Now he watched, eyes intent, as Seel chased after fleeing Cubone, trying to learn to use Headbutt on land. Minun sparred with Riolu, now on a somewhat more equal footing with the younger but more experienced pokémon, and Al trained quietly with Plusle and Eevee, Togepi clinging to his helmet, wide-eyed.

North City's civilian gym was an Ice-Type gym. Last he'd heard, from Teacher, it had three pokémon, a Glaceon, a Piloswine, and a Froslass.

That meant they'd be dealing with an Ice type, an Ice/Ground, and an Ice/Ghost. The Froslass could present some difficulty - he and Riolu wouldn't be much good against that. He frowned to himself.

After a few more minutes spent thinking, he stood up and called out to his pokémon. "Hey, guys! Time to take a break!"

Seel accidentally ran into Cubone as the Ground-type stopped running, panting slightly, and knocked her over. Ed chuckled and moved over there, while the other pokémon gathered with him. Al shot him a questioning look, and Ed shook his head, letting his brother get back to his own training.

He sat on the ground as his pokémon faced him, looking expectant.

"You guys know that the next gym's an Ice gym, right?"

A chorus of affirmations met him, and he smiled slightly; yeah, alright, so he'd gone over that already.

"Well, we're getting close," he continued, face growing serious again. "We're almost out of the desert, and once we hit snow we're nearly there."

"Minun?" Minun questioned. Ed nodded.

"That's right. We need to discuss tactics now." He looked over them all, with a small, reassuring smile. "You're all getting pretty good. I think I could use any of you if I really wanted to." A few of them cheered, and he chuckled and waved his automail hand. "But, I'd rather not take risks with you if I don't have to, okay?"

"Cu bone bone," Cubone protested.

"I know you'll be fine," Ed answered, waving both his hands now. "Look. Riolu's fighting for sure - that all right, Riolu?"

"Huh!" Riolu nodded with a bright smile. Ed smiled and nodded, too.

"But Cubone, you're weak to Ice."

"Cuuu!" Cubone growled at him, waving her club angrily. Ed hesitated.

"...Are you sure?"

"Cuuu! Cubone, cucu!"

Ed shrugged uncertainly. "Alright…" He shook his head and refocused. "If they have three pokémon, that means I can use three, too. Minun, Seel, that means one of you."

"Seel, seel!" Seel cheered.

Ed nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I've been meaning to ask - do you have Ice Body, Seel?"

"Seel?"

"Uh…" Ed shrugged. "Does hail heal you?"

"Seel!" Seel nodded eagerly. Ed smiled.

"That's great. That means you have the ability Ice Body - that'll be really helpful." He looked at Minun. "You alright with this, Minun?"

Minun nodded, shuffling. Despite her resolve to help Ed, Ed knew that she still didn't much like battling, even if she was getting used to it.

Ed gave her a warm smile and a nod. "That settles it, then. Riolu, Cubone, Seel - we're getting ready for a gym battle!"

They cheered.

He grinned, punching the air in anticipation. "Right! Ten minute break and then we're back to training. Riolu, Minun, you're good. Cubone, Seel, come see me when the break's over, we need to talk about moves."

He nodded at the chorus of acknowledgements and headed over to Al as his pokémon scattered.

Al was patiently teaching Plusle Helping Hand, and it looked like the little Electric type was making good progress. He didn't notice Ed's approach until Ed called out,

"Doing alright, Al?"

Al started, then looked up at Ed. "Yeah," he affirmed, voice warm and pleased. "Plusle's almost got it, right, Plusle?"

Plusle nodded eagerly. "Plusle plus!"

"That's great," Ed smiled, sitting down beside him. "So I've decided who I'm going to use in the gym battle."

Al grew serious. "Who?"

"Riolu, Cubone, and Seel," Ed replied promptly. He grinned. "Seel's got Ice Body, did you know?"

"That's great, brother. But Cubone? Are you sure?"

Ed shrugged. "She insisted."

"Alright." Al chuckled ruefully. "You ready for this, brother?"

Ed tensed slightly. "Better be," he said darkly, staring at the ground.

* * *

**There we go! That's another chapter down, and a lot more time/space passed than I was expecting to manage this chapter. Thanks, Palkia! Heh. Well, thanks for reading and please review!**


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